This invention relates generally to a computerized audiometer used in testing hearing. Specifically, it is directed to a computerized audiometer for testing the hearing of one person or variable numbers of people at the same time, and for generating programming for a programmable hearing aid. While the art of audiometers is generally well known and well understood, the conversion of audiometric screening information into a form incorporatable in a hearing aid specifically programmed to remedy the specific hearing deficiencies of the user has proved difficult. It is well known in the medical arts relating to the human hearing function, that most hearing loss does not take place equally across the entire audio frequency spectrum, but rather is localized to certain frequency ranges, with variable hearing losses at varying frequency ranges. While audiometers have been developed that will automatically conduct hearing test screenings through a range of frequencies and amplitudes, it has not been heretofore possible to analyze and convert the data obtained through the audiometric screening into data for programming a hearing aid capable of variably adjusting the amplification of sound in frequency bands characterized by variable widths and/or center frequencies.
Further, it is desirable to provide a computerized audiometer which can efficiently and automatically perform hearing tests on one or a variable number of people, store or transmit information on the people being tested including identification and test data and actually program a hearing aid to the desired correction.